What’s the fastest growing industry in the Hudson Valley? According to the State Department of Labor, it’s the Warehousing sector. In this blog post we’re going to walk through some Ulster County and Dutchess County-specific facts about warehousing and transportation, and then talk about what workers can do to obtain compensation for major injuries suffered on the job due to their employer’s negligence.
The Hudson Valley, and local communities like Kingston, NY, Poughkeepsie, Ellenville, Newburgh, and more, is a natural fit for the transportation and warehousing industry because it is at the intersection of Upstate and Downstate New York, with six major airports and six major highways within 100 miles. According to the DoL, the Hudson Valley’s transportation and warehousing sector:
- Has 1,376 companies
- Employs more than 25,000 workers
- Pays out $1.2B in annual wages, at an average of $46,450 per year
- Accounts for 3.3% of the region’s private sector employment
In the report, the DoL reported that the Hudson Valley’s Warehousing and Storage sector has increased employment from 2015 and 2020, and further projects 56.5% growth from 2018 to 2028. They went on to predict that the occupation is expected to grow faster in the Hudson Valley than in the nation as a whole between 2014 and 2024.
According to another report, warehouse workers:
- Suffer 3.3 serious injuries per 100 workers
- These injuries result in an average of 43.5 work days missed
- Suffer 6.8 serious injuries per 100 workers in Amazon warehouses
- These injuries result in an average of 62.2 work days missed
According to experts, the vast majority of these warehouse injuries are musculoskeletal in nature, repetitive injuries from lifting things repeatedly for a long period of time. These issues can be exacerbated by excessive work quotas and penalties for taking breaks. On the more serious side, forklift injuries and injuries resulting from the effects of gravity can result in serious problems like head injuries, traumatic brian injuries, spinal cord injuries, fractures and broken bones, and amputations. To mitigate these injuries, a measure was passed in December 2022 to protect New York warehouse workers from “undisclosed or unlawful work speed quotas, and includes protections for workers who fail to meet unlawful quotas.
According to an OSHA report, the most common hazards for workers in warehouses are:
- Unsafe forklift use
- Improperly stacked products
- Failure to use PPE (personal protective equipment)
- Failure to use proper lockout and tagout procedures
- Inadequate fire safety protocols
- Repetitive motion injuries
When workers compensation is not enough to cover the costs of a warehouse injury, you should consider visiting an experienced personal injury attorney in Kingston, NY or Poughkeepsie. Book your free consultation today by calling 845-600-0000.